“When did you find out about this?” Zhu Yun asked.
“From the very beginning.”
“Did Li Xun come to you?”
“Why would he be the one to come to me?” Dong Siyang said, somewhat displeased. “Don’t you know who the boss is around here?”
“……”
Dong Siyang let out a cold laugh. “Did you really think I’d let someone who just got out of prison, with no credentials to show for himself, waltz into the company just like that? And then go months on end just eating without doing any work.” He leaned forward, propping his elbows on the desk, thumb pointed at himself, and said bluntly, “I came out of there myself. I know exactly what it’s like on the inside.”
Zhu Yun was so taken aback by his fierce expression that she couldn’t get a word out. Dong Siyang, seeing this, was quite pleased with himself. He leaned back into his leather executive chair. “I figured out your little scheme on the very first day. If you think you can hide things from me, keep dreaming.” He leisurely picked up his cup and slurped some tea, only to find it had gone cold, so he downed it in one gulp instead.
“More water, more water!”
Zhu Yun wordlessly refilled his cup with hot water, while Dong Siyang quietly watched her from behind.
He had indeed uncovered the tangled history between them on the very first day he met them. It was mainly because Fang Zhijing had quite a reputation by now, and since Li Xun’s case had involved prison time, the clues were easy enough to piece together.
The day after completing his investigation, he tracked down Li Xun, originally intending to probe him — if he caught him in a lie, he’d throw him out on the spot. But Li Xun had been completely candid, answering every question Dong Siyang asked without the slightest hesitation. The only trouble was that the story contained only men and no women, only the clash of blades with none of the passion of love and hatred. Li Xun said not a word about his deceased sister, nor was he willing to say much about Zhu Yun. There was only one description he gave of her, and Dong Siyang remembered it clearly —
“She overthinks things, and she’s naive and foolish at times, but she’s genuinely capable, and she has both perseverance and loyalty.”
Perseverance.
Loyalty.
As Zhu Yun poured the water, it dawned on her — the two of them had already talked it over long ago. To think she had been agonizing over how to explain the situation to Dong Siyang. A mild sense of helplessness began to spread through her, but before it could travel very far, a steadier feeling came and covered it over.
A final flash of life before the end. She was actually feeling like they were still twenty years old — her in charge of worrying, him in charge of handling everything.
Zhu Yun set the teacup squarely in front of Dong Siyang and asked, “So Director Dong has known about our history with Jili Company all along.”
Dong Siyang said languidly, “Obviously.”
“Then the fact that you kept Li Xun on means——”
Dong Siyang glanced at her sideways. “Stop trying to figure out a man’s thinking when there’s nothing to figure out. You won’t get there.”
Right. They were back to the perfectly normal state of wanting to grind her teeth every time she spoke to him.
Zhu Yun stopped wasting time. She put on a respectful expression and gave him a bow. “In that case, there’s no need to explain my situation either. I won’t disturb you any further. I’ll be going.”
Dong Siyang gave a wave of his hand.
“You’re dismissed.”
Not wanting to lay eyes on him for at least another half hour, Zhu Yun left the office to get some air. On the ground floor, she happened to run right into Zhang Fang and the others coming back from lunch outside. All the way along, Zhang Fang had been going on and on at Guo Shijie, while Zhao Teng shuffled along in his slippers, yawning as he strolled. Li Xun walked at the back.
Zhang Fang spotted Zhu Yun from a distance and called out cheerfully, “Hey, Team Leader Zhu!”
Li Xun looked up, and his gaze met Zhu Yun’s head-on. She happened to have something to say to him, so she grabbed him by the arm. “Come with me for a moment.”
Zhang Fang immediately objected, “Hey, hey! What’s going on?” He grabbed Li Xun’s other arm. “I still need him in a bit — isn’t there such a thing as first come, first served?”
Zhu Yun turned around. “What do you need him for?”
“Procurement.” Zhang Fang served as the company’s logistics manager, responsible for purchasing supplies on a regular basis. “He needs to help carry things.” Zhang Fang clapped Li Xun on the back. “A build like this shouldn’t go to waste. Can’t have him freeloading every day.”
Zhu Yun looked at Li Xun. Li Xun stood there with his usual nonchalance, letting people say whatever they wanted.
She gave Zhang Fang a small smile. “Director Zhang flatters him too much. That build of his just looks passable on the surface — underneath he’s all bluster and no substance.”
“Oh? Is that so?” Zhang Fang also looked at Li Xun. Li Xun, stone-faced, stared back at Zhu Yun.
Behind them, Zhao Teng gave Zhang Fang a kick.
Zhang Fang turned back, annoyed. Zhao Teng said, “Just send them the shopping list and let them go buy it.”
Zhang Fang’s expression shifted in an instant, turning positively delighted.
“Well, well — after knowing me this long, you’re finally starting to appreciate how hard I work.”
Zhao Teng: “Idiot, hurry up!”
Zhang Fang thought Zhao Teng’s suggestion was a fine idea. He pulled out his phone and said to Zhu Yun, “I’ll send you the shopping list. Just head to the supermarket across the street. Remember to keep the receipt — no receipt, no reimbursement.”
Zhao Teng watched Zhang Fang send the message, then grabbed him by the collar and hauled him away. As he left, he happened to catch Zhu Yun’s eye, and gave her a smile full of meaning.
Li Xun brushed Zhu Yun’s hand aside and headed for the door. Zhu Yun followed close behind. “Did you tell Dong Siyang about what happened between us before?”
Li Xun walked ahead, his voice lazy. “‘What happened between us before’?” He glanced back at her sideways. Zhu Yun felt a flutter in her chest at that look and made a determined effort to steer the conversation back on course.
“I mean the business with Gao Jianhong and the others.”
Li Xun seemed to find that abrupt pivot amusing. A brief laugh escaped him, swallowed up by the honking of traffic on the street.
“I did.”
Li Xun lit a cigarette. The two of them stood at the intersection, waiting for the red light.
Zhu Yun said, “You could have at least mentioned it to me.”
Li Xun: “Whether I mentioned it or not, it didn’t change anything.”
Zhu Yun fell silent.
The light turned green. They crossed the street. The whole way, not a word passed between them, and the sound of car tires rolling over tiny pebbles as the vehicles started up behind them rang out with unusual clarity.